With so many product options available, advisor site fund comparison tools give financial professionals something to lean on when researching investments for clients and building portfolios. These tools simplify the selection process by generating a comprehensive overview of funds side-by-side. And they let advisors easily spot pain points and opportunities across different products.

How comparison tools can actually help advisors

So what makes one of the many advisor site fund comparison tools stand out from the crowd? We’ve considered several vital factors. The first is an easy input process that offers access to both proprietary and third-party funds. Comparison tools should—of course—also offer a diverse set of data points for advisors to compare.

It’s not only about what data the firms present in these tools, but how that info is presented. Engaging visual aids are a must, with an emphasis on engaging. That said, hover-over capabilities are now the industry standard, offered by 83% of firms that provide graphs. Firms need to offer a higher level of customizability to stand out, which they can do by allowing advisors to alter graph assumptions.

A good fund comparison tool also allows advisors to save and share their findings with clients via an easy-to-use platform. As always, customizability is key, so firms that allow advisors to generate highly personalized PDF reports will stand out from their peers.

Read on to see which firms go above and beyond the basics. And check out our recent report on advisor site fund comparison tools for an in-depth analysis across the coverage set. For access—or to learn more about the user experience asset management firms provide for advisors—contact us about our Asset Management Monitor research services.

Top three advisor site fund comparison tools

 

1. Putnam

Putnam FundVisualizer advisor site fund comparison tools
Putnam FundVisualizer Tool Compare Tab Select a Chart Step
  • The secure site FundVisualizer tool offers unique features, like the ability to import a list of funds, explore funds within certain criteria and save and export comparisons
  • The firm offers an iPad app dedicated specifically to the FundVisualizer, which is a great help to advisors on the go
  • The tool provides particularly strong product selection options and dynamic charts, which allow for customization in choosing benchmarks and criteria to compare funds
  • The firm offers several options for inputting funds, including an impressive Explore tab with plenty of filters, a standard predictive search bar and an Import section that allows advisors to upload documents
  • Advisors can compare an impressive amount of data using several customizable chart options through the Compare tab
  • The Share tab allows advisors to compile and export the charts in a client-facing PDF

 

2. J.P. Morgan

J.P. Morgan Investment Comparison advisor site fund comparison tools
J.P. Morgan Investment Comparison Tool Stress Tests Tab U.S. Stock Market Declines Section
  • The Investment Comparison tool offers a substantial amount of information in a visually appealing and intuitive way
  • Advisors can input funds with a simple predictive search bar, and the firm will also recommend similar funds for comparison
  • The results are expansive, consisting of six tabs, 25 subtabs and occasional sections within subtabs that break up information into digestible pieces
  • Each subtab contains as much or more information as entire tabs in other comparison tools, making J.P. Morgan the most detailed offering in the coverage set
  • The firm includes dozens of interactive graphs and color-codes several charts, helping advisors better understand information and engage with content

 

3. Vanguard

Vanguard Compare Products advisor site fund comparison tools
Vanguard Compare Products Tool Generate a PDF Platform
  • The public site Compare Products tool boasts a full range of value-added capabilities and data points for comparison
  • The tool’s input platform consists of two separate pathways—Compare Products and Find Similar Products—that both lead to the same results platform
  • Both pathways feature the same predictive search bar to start, but the second option will recommend a list of related proprietary funds to advisors, showcasing strong firm funds
  • Advisors can compare up to five funds, and results generate in a separate page that the firm organizes into four sections: Overview, Composition, Performance and Risk
  • The firm presents data in both table and graph formats, presenting several interactive visual representations of data with multiple view options throughout the results
  • The firm also stands out for offering one of the most sophisticated PDF generation platforms in the coverage set, supporting cover page customization, the ability to remove or reorder analyses and the option to preview content before exporting